Curriculum and Instruction, Ed.D.
Program of Study
The Ed.D. in Curriculum and Instruction will be delivered in a lock-step cohort model. Candidates will complete coursework on a schedule which is designed to provide optimum learning opportunities. Program completion is dependent on meeting all dissertation requirements.
Candidates for the doctoral program must complete a minimum of 60 hours beyond the master’s degree. The curriculum for the Ed.D. program is designed to promote depth and breadth to the study of curriculum and instruction while promoting teacher leadership and school improvement. Candidates explore major areas of concern in the contemporary school as well as historical issues affecting schools today.
Common Core Courses = 12 hours
EDD 8869 Assessment and Data Driven Instruction (new course 2022-23)
| EDD 8831 | Trends and Issues in Curriculum Leadership | 3 |
| EDD 8870 | Program Design and Evaluation | 3 |
| EDD 8830 | Philosophical Views in Education | 3 |
Specific Leadership Concentration Courses = 12 hours + 5 hours Internship
EDD 8860 Law, Policy, & Ethics (new course 2022-23)
Common Research Courses = 15 hours
EDD 9000 Quantitative Methods and Representation of Data (new course 2022-23)
EDD 8892 Action Research 1 (new course 2022-23)
EDD 8893 Action Research 2 (new course 2022-23
| EDD 8890 | Foundations of Research | 3 |
| EDD 8899 | Quantitative Research and Statistical Analysis | 3 |
Writing = 6 hours
| EDD 8855 | Reading and Writing at the Doctoral Level | 3 |
| EDD 8875 | Preparing for Admission to Candidacy and Understanding the Purpose of a Literature Review | 1 |
Dissertation = 10 hours
In addition to the coursework outlined above, candidates will also complete the following requirements to earn the Ed.D. degree:
- Completed application for graduation
- Comprehensive Examination
- Admission to Candidacy
- Dissertation Proposal Defense with Human Subjects Review of Research Plan
- Dissertation Research and Defense
- Submission of final dissertation document for publication
Comprehensive Examinations (COMPS)
Candidates will complete comprehensive examinations after completing coursework. Candidates must pass COMPS before entering the dissertation phase. Candidates may retake the examination only one time. If the candidate fails the examination the second time, he/she must schedule a meeting with the Director of Doctoral Studies.
Admission to Candidacy
The Admission to Candidacy examination requires a student to write a scholarly paper. This examination is designed to assess the student’s ability to synthesize research and to produce a coherent, scholarly, literature review on a topic relevant to his or her research interests. The Admission to Candidacy Committee reviews each student’s paper and evaluates the quality of the submission. The committee determines the student’s readiness for candidacy and his or her potential for writing a dissertation. The committee assigns a pass, pass with revisions, or fail assessment. Candidates who receive a pass with revisions or a fail can re-write the paper one time. If the candidate fails Admission to Candidacy, he or she must wait one full year to retake the examination.
Dissertation Proposal
The dissertation proposal must be approved by the candidate's doctoral committee. Candidates must present the proposal in person to the committee in a professional presentation as well as a written format. Candidates will be advised of approval of the proposal by the committee along with any recommendations.
Dissertation
The Ed.D. culminates in the preparation and defense of a dissertation. The dissertation is prepared under the supervision of the doctoral committee. The committee receives continuous updates and revisions during the process in order to better facilitate communication of the project. When complete, the chair and the candidate will schedule a defense of the dissertation. The defense is heard by the doctoral committee, which must approve both the oral defense and the written dissertation. The document should be well written grammatically correct and follow current APA guidelines within the document and reference page. The academic community is invited to attend the final defense of any doctoral candidate.
Dissertation Editing
All candidates must submit their dissertations for review by a final editor after the completion of the dissertation defense. Candidates are required to complete all suggested changes under the leadership of their doctoral chairs.
Continuous Enrollment Requirement
Candidates for the Doctor of Education degree (Ed.D.) are expected to be continuously enrolled through all phases of their program. Full-time study load for students is a minimum of 6 credit hours. Students who have completed course work and who have successfully passed the comprehensive examination and Admission to Candidacy move to the dissertation phase; thereafter, as candidates progress through the dissertation phase, they must be enrolled in a minimum of 1 credit hour to be considered full-time doctoral candidates and must maintain regular communication with their doctoral committee chair. Students who are not continuously enrolled will be withdrawn.
Requests for a leave of absence for extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by case basis and must be made in writing to the Director of Doctoral Studies. Final approval rests with the Dean of the College of Education.